Kosovar police surround a village after Serb gunmen storm a monastery in violence that has killed 4
Source: Associated Press
Kosovar police surround a village after Serb gunmen storm a monastery in violence that has killed 4
BY ZENEL ZHINIPOTOKU AND LLAZAR SEMINI
Updated 3:45 PM EDT, September 24, 2023
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Dozens of Serb gunmen dressed in combat uniforms killed a Kosovar Albanian police officer then stormed an Orthodox monastery in Kosovo near its border with Serbia, setting off gunbattles that left three assailants dead and further raised tensions between the two former wartime foes as they seek to normalize ties.
Kosovo police surrounded Banjska, a village located 55 kilometers (35 miles) north of Kosovo’s capital where the monastery is located, and the gunfire was continuing, according to Prime Minister Albin Kurti. Kosovo’s interior minister stated later Sunday that the area was under control but he did not say if the gunmen had left.
The Kosovo Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church said a temple of the monastery in Banjska was locked down after the gunmen stormed it. A group of pilgrims from Serbia was inside the temple along with an abbot.
Kurti said the attack was supported by Serbia. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke later Sunday in Belgrade to say the gunmen were local Kosovo Serbs “who no longer want to stand Kurti’s terror.”
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/kosovo-serbia-policeman-killed-tension-kurti-vucic-51a29a3159646ec020851b3b5a24836f
